This is an important post. Thanks. I never burn incense because it gives me a headache. I find a scent that I really like, and I place the stick in a bowl of rice. Incense that I love are hard to find.

Im asthmatic so I cant, However for Incense I decided to use various perfumes and so on. Smells even better

Abandoning Dharma is, in the final analysis, disparaging the Hinayana because of the Mahayana; favoring the Hinayana on account of the Mahayana; playing off sutra against tantra; playing off the four classes of the tantras against each other; favoring one of the Tibetan schools—the Sakya, Gelug, Kagyu, or Nyingma—and disparaging the rest; and so on. In other words, we abandon Dharma any time we favor our own tenets and disparage the rest.

I'm with you on that one! You should see what happens when I do Riwo Sang Cho practice, we are talking billowing clouds of incense smoke! Anyway the article is talking about those cheap and nasty joss sticks. Truth is though, that whenever you burn anything it lets off lots of toxic chemicals as a consequence, but the joss sticks tend to be loaded with lots of toxic chemicals before being burnt so you can imagine what goes on as they are burnt!

I'm with you on that one! You should see what happens when I do Riwo Sang Cho practice, we are talking billowing clouds of incense smoke! Anyway the article is talking about those cheap and nasty joss sticks. Truth is though, that whenever you burn anything it lets off lots of toxic chemicals as a consequence, but the joss sticks tend to be loaded with lots of toxic chemicals before being burnt so you can imagine what goes on as they are burnt!

I was hoping for that being the case, Greg, as I also like to let rip with the smoke clouds Is there any test or brand(s) that would not pose these types of dangers? Most of the incense I use don't really mention the contents on the packet, and I suppose even if they did ...

I tend to use the "Tibetan" varieties (Potala, Lotus etc), but then at times also the more "Indian" ones. It's a bit of a mood thing with me, I suppose.

I guess no matter how 'safe' it is made, moderation in usage is also a factor right? Some temples/centres these days have a signage advising lighting only one stick as opposed to a truckload....how much more at home...

Just checked the anti-smoking legislation in the UK, and it would make sense that anything causing smoke should be banned for a workplace, however it would seem they specifically excluded incesne form the ban:

The question about the legality of burning incense was asked in the House of Lords and the Minister of Health confirmed this was not covered by the legislation."Let me get out of the way the question of joss sticks, incense, chewing tobacco and snuff for those who have a predilection in these areas. Noble Lords can carry on chewing their tobacco or taking their snuff unimpeded by the Bill. Joss sticks cannot be smoked, so they are not covered by the Bill, and the same applies to incense".

Stick to using natural incenses made from herbs and resins without the addition of synthetic perfumes (if it lists benzyl... or phenyl... avoid it) or (what I normally do, especially for sang purposes) make your own incense from natural herbs, spices, flowers, wood and resins and burn them on charcoal.If you want to make incense pellets (instead of leaving the ncense in powder form) to burn on charcoal, then slowly drizzle honey into the powder mix until you make a "dough" then roll it into balls/pellets/disks and leave them to dry. If the mix contains lots of resins you can just mix it with water or even rose water or lemon blossom water and it'll stick together. If they remain sticky even after drying you can coat them with baby/talcum powder (unscented is even better).Some of my favorite ingredients: clove powder, cinammon powder, frankincense resin, myrrh resin, benzoin, nutmeg powder, crushed amber, saffron, copal, sage, lavender, sandalwood powder, guggul (only for protectors, not for general offerings), crushed cedar wood or tips, pine resin, rose petals, the list goes on forever!You can also add a little essential oil as well.It's good to have a mortar and pestle that you use only for making incense coz if you use the mortar and pestle from last night when you were crushing garlic for the homemade pesto, well...PS Even these natural ingredients produce some toxic substances when burnt, but obviously not to the same extent as when you burn toxic substances.

I have to admit that during my smoking days I was a sucker for aromatic tobacco mixes and especially Indonesian Kretek cigarettes. Clove flavoured cigarettes with a sweetened clove flavoured filter! My friend, who was an marketing exec for British American Tobaccos, told me that they were considering buying the company that produced Kretek cigarettes until they got the laboratory reports on the dioxin levels!

I have to admit that during my smoking days I was a sucker for aromatic tobacco mixes and especially Indonesian Kretek cigarettes. Clove flavoured cigarettes with a sweetened clove flavoured filter! My friend, who was an marketing exec for British American Tobaccos, told me that they were considering buying the company that produced Kretek cigarettes until they got the laboratory reports on the dioxin levels!

I'm sure Borkum Riff is incense.........?

As a pipe smoker I had many wonderful experiences. Sometimes I also used tobacco.

Stick to using natural incenses made from herbs and resins without the addition of synthetic perfumes (if it lists benzyl... or phenyl... avoid it) or (what I normally do, especially for sang purposes) make your own incense from natural herbs, spices, flowers, wood and resins and burn them on charcoal.If you want to make incense pellets (instead of leaving the ncense in powder form) to burn on charcoal, then slowly drizzle honey into the powder mix until you make a "dough" then roll it into balls/pellets/disks and leave them to dry. If the mix contains lots of resins you can just mix it with water or even rose water or lemon blossom water and it'll stick together. If they remain sticky even after drying you can coat them with baby/talcum powder (unscented is even better).Some of my favorite ingredients: clove powder, cinammon powder, frankincense resin, myrrh resin, benzoin, nutmeg powder, crushed amber, saffron, copal, sage, lavender, sandalwood powder, guggul (only for protectors, not for general offerings), crushed cedar wood or tips, pine resin, rose petals, the list goes on forever!You can also add a little essential oil as well.It's good to have a mortar and pestle that you use only for making incense coz if you use the mortar and pestle from last night when you were crushing garlic for the homemade pesto, well...PS Even these natural ingredients produce some toxic substances when burnt, but obviously not to the same extent as when you burn toxic substances.

Thank you, Greg, that sounds like a wonderful project. I will give that a try.